To celebrate our pinnacle range of adidas Originals styles this season, we sat down three members of Team Hype DC to step outside their stores and tell us a little more about themselves. Next up is Hayley who’s making her mark by designing, illustrating and creating while capturing a myriad of influences along the way.

It’s always been clothes, art, or design. My Mum’s a graphic design teacher, and she had a huge influence on my love for everything creative. I learnt to sew when I was about 11 and that’s what I did every weekend. I’ve always made stuff, my whole life, whether it’s rope knotted bracelets in primary school or tank tops in high school. It hasn’t really changed, I’m always hustling and making stuff and experimenting. My friends would always be like, “can you make me one, I’ll pay you?” I sold about 200 hand made bucket hats when I was 19. That was so crazy, just from word of mouth. I used to go to clubs or house parties and friends of friends would come up to me and I’d grab their details. Like I had sizes and everything — a full sale system.

At the time I wanted to follow that more, design my own fabrics and do the branding and marketing for it, but I was studying and didn’t have time for both. And that’s when I started wanting to drop out! I’m still studying, and still wanting to drop out! But graphic design is just so broad in the scope of jobs that you can go into and I couldn’t really pick what I wanted to do specifically as a creative career. So graph design was kind of perfect. I was always into it; I just never knew what it was called and that is was a thing until I was 18.

You’re illustrations have a gritty nostalgia look to them, what inspires that?

It’s probably culture and my interests throughout life for sure. Used to be really into skateboard and surf graphics. I skated heaps when I was younger and was obsessed with deck graphics. Still am. I used to listen to a lot of surf rock as a teenager, like Panda Bear and Surfer Blood.

Specifically when I was about 15 or 16 I used to froth that brand Insight, because all the graphics were different and really grungy. They used to have this thing called ‘Garage Artists’ and they would spotlight artists with that grunge style. I picked up this publication they made at surf shop in like 2010, it was like an A5 size support publication for their brand and I still have it. I’m flicking through it right now actually — and it’s pretty identical to the work I do currently. Weird characters, articles with partnered collaged photos, body text in franklin gothic (nerdy), funky ‘70s titles, heaps of two-tone images, lots of swear words, stencil fonts. Man this is actually so fresh! I’m so glad I kept this!

What kind of mediums do you work with?

I mainly work in drawing, photocopying, and collage. There’s something I like about creating an image with your hands. I have a Wacom tablet but I draw everything by hand then manipulate it on the computer. The Wacom I just used for editing and re-touching. It’s not my steez. I tried it, and I just can’t go past the old pen and paper.

Why do you like to include a handmade element into your pieces?

I think people still don’t expect it in 2016. Like i-D mag, they used these hand drawn stencil style page numbers for a few of their last issues. People just don’t expect that in a printed fashion mag. Even when I do make a publication that’s a very ‘clean’ design, the images are always scans of printed images to get that dot screen from the printer. As appose to editing a dot on Photoshop. I can’t help myself. I think you were right about the nostalgia in my work, small things like that grab peoples attention.

"My life is a constant research and development for design projects future and present."

You’ve done a lot of work with art books and magazines, any favourites?

The Terrace — I have a huge love and obsession for ‘60s and ‘70s design and architecture. I love all the décor, the advertisements, and just culture from that time. The project really informed a lot of my current work. I’m working on a similar project at the moment for Boogie Down Press.

What’s your creative process like?

It never really stops. I’m never switched off. I’m always un-intentionally brainstorming for current and future projects. Taking notes in my phone, I take pictures of books and signs and packaging constantly. My life is a constant research and development for design projects future and present.

Do you prefer to work solo or are you more of a collaborator?

Both are sweet. I don’t really have a preference. Collabs are always wicked, working with people you admire and being on the same wavelength as them is a pretty sweet feeling. Victory is sweeter when it’s shared for sure.

What are you working on at the moment?

It’s a surprise.

Whose work motivates and drives you?

Ed Davis, Jen Shear, B. Thom Stevens. Luke Robinson from out west is real fresh as well. Muck Man from NY who does all the visual work for Letter Racer, all the 8ball zine stuff is wicked too, The Spaghetti Boys. Zach Bedzi, Gasius & Horfee always.